Detroit Pistons bench shines in 121-102 win over Los Angeles Lakers

Nov 9, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0), guard Ish Smith (14) and forward Tobias Harris (34) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Pistons 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0), guard Ish Smith (14) and forward Tobias Harris (34) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Suns defeated the Pistons 107-100. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers 121-102 behind a dominating third quarter, plenty of assists, and perhaps the bench’s finest game of the season.

The Detroit Pistons (25-28) won 121-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers (18-37) on Wednesday night behind a season-high 32 assists, a season-high 70 points in the paint, and 50 points from the bench.

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The Pistons fell behind 18-11 early in the first, but took a six-point lead into the half before blowing the game open with a 36-20 third quarter.

The Lakers lead the NBA in bench points per game, but it was Detroit’s who really stepped up tonight. The Pistons’ bench foursome of Tobias Harris, Ish Smith, Stanley Johnson, and Aron Baynes scored 46 points and played terrific for the most part.

But it was Andre Drummond who led the team in scoring tonight. He finished with 24 points, 17 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals in just 28 minutes of action.

The Pistons have now won four of their last five and seven of their last eight at home. They remain in the 8th slot in the Eastern Conference.

Must read: Andre Drummond appears in ESPN’s Top 25 Under 25 list

Reggie BullockBoban Marjanovic, Beno Udrih, and Darrun Hilliard all got some fourth-quarter run in junk time. All but Boban (four points, four rebounds) failed to make much of an impact.

Next up, the Detroit Pistons host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.